When I was young my father always had pigeons as pets. I spent plenty of time around his feathered friends. Perhaps that is where my interest in the passenger pigeon came from.

I used to imagine what it must have been like to see the sky go dark when a flock of passenger pigeons flew overhead. When I saw Ben Novak's TEDx Talk about bringing the passenger pigeon back from extinction, I know I had to talk to him.

Ben Novak grew up exploring Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The connection he made with the park when he was young led to his current work to revive the passenger pigeon.

Ben's story is a wonderful story about building a connection to parks. By exploring his favorite National Park he fell in love with what was around him. Consider the impact it may have twenty years from now when you help a kid connect to the park.

Perhaps my favorite thing about Ben is that he chose himself to do this work. He raised his hand and declared he would be the one to devote his life to bringing a beautiful bird back to our parks and forests. Most people who do great work do not wait to be picked. They just stand up and do the work.

If you are interested in Ben's work you can find out more at Revive and Restore and follow The Great Comeback on Facebook.

How to Bring Passenger Pigeons All the Way Back: Ben Novak at TEDxDeExtinction (click to watch on YouTube)